Kaliphlin
Kaliphlin is the southernmost of the Guilds of Historica, and is known for its harsh desert climate and its success in the trade industry. They are the chief producers and suppliers of Black Oil, a rare commodity, which brings in the bulk of the guild’s wealth. Kaliphlin is often heralded as a free place for outsiders to come and create new successful lives. Guild of Kaliphlin on Eurobricks History Main Article: ''Kaliphlin History There are many myths and legends about the History of Kaliphlin. One of the most well-known is the Myth of Kaligem. It is about the period where Kaliphlin rules the continent of Historica and where the Green wastelands turned into the nowadays desert. It is situated around 1000 years ago. Around 3000 years ago, or around 3,000 BT, some traders from another continent arrives at the Great Southern Grasslands, nowadays Kaliphlin. They are nomads so they come and go. Only a few of them stays here to start a new nomad life. Five hundred years later, few nomads decides to construct a city somewhere in the Great Southern Grasslands. They call it Kaligem and call themselves Kaliphlins. Five hundred years later, the city of Kaligem was getting more and more fame across the globe as wealth rained for the residents of the city and the Kaliphlins decided to make a second wall, defended by golden towers. Around the same time, the Drow starts with conquering rest of Historica The Drow attempted a failed siege of Kaligem in 1,905 BT. The Kaliphlins constructs the major temple for Bonash, their deity to thank him for their victory. The Drow are banned to their cities under the Rakath Mountains again. Drow raids in every part of Historica starts. In 1,500 BT, Santani Bela'Sti Fi'Ru of House Santani is the new Lord of Kaliphlin. He starts spreading the wealth of Kaligem throughout the continent and starts conquering Historica. By 1,400 BT. Kaliphlin conquered almost all of nowadays Historica. Cedrica is founded to make a more central capital. Around 1350 BT,' Kaliphlin starts the siege of the last holdout not yet conquered, the Darkland Bastion Everlast in the East, leader of the army is Santani b'Rack Ji'Fall. His son Santani Ar'Mani Ji'Teel decided to transport the wealth of Kaligem to Cedrica. After a five year siege, Everlast fell as the enemy disappeared. Kaliphlin controls now all of Historica. At the same time, the God Bonash and the God Ashroth starts the siege of Kaligem as revenge for all the wealth deported to Cedrica. The residents started offering all their wealth at once and even people to please Bonash again. Then, Bonash and Ashroths starts fighting each other. Ashroth has been killed and Bonash heavily injured and one of their magic waves casted a hugh standstorm allover Kaligem, making Kaligem disappear from the map. The Great Southern Grasslands are transformed into a hot desert. Due the fall of Kaligem, Kaliphlin was not able anymore to control Historica, new factions arrised and they started fighting eachother. A thousand years of war started. However, in 1 AT, a treaty was made in the fortress city of Cedrica that founded the Kingdom of Historica, and made Kaliphlin as the southern guild. Government The current leader of the Kaliphlin Guild is Dextrus Flagg. Originally a slave - this dwarf revolutionized the production of Black Oil making him the most powerful Merchant, and thus the earning and buying the respect necessary to become the leader of all of the Siccus Badlands. Kaliphlin High Council of Lords The Kaliphlin High Council of Lords, or simply the High Council, is the governing body of Kaliphlin that holds the real power. The head of the council is the Lord of Kaliphlin, who was Dextrus Flagg before he went missing. Important Citizens Main Article: Kaliphlin Important Citizens Kaliphlin is the guild of opportunity, where any person can elevate him or herself to the top. Thus, not all of important Kaliphlinians are actually Lords or nobility. Such is the example of Sir Gideon, who represents Barqa on the High Council. Geography The Siccus Badlands is predominately a desert wasteland in the southern realm of Historica. Feed by lakes and rivers of the Avalonia, the Akrbi river runs through its lands and is the primary source of fresh water to the parched south. For the affluent, the preferred water source is the glacial waters shipped from the Mitgardia's snow caps. To the east are the trailing end of the Rakath Mountain Range. The mountain fortress of Qarkyr stands in the mountains acting as a sentinel over the inhabitants of the Darklands. The mountains are small compared to the lofty heights of the Rakath mountains. Under the shadow of the Rakath mountain lies the smaller Mystic mountain where various bands of Mountain Mummies will sojourn near the local villages during the oppressive scorching months. In the far west lies the meager forests and farmlands of the South. These pitiful farms do not provide much food, but the vastness of the farmland provides enough space to grow food for the sparsely populated Siccus Badlands. The port city of Barqa stands as the major trading hub in the western part of the Siccus. Here supplies from the north are shipped in and in return the Black Oil is shipped out. The supplies travel along the Oil Road - always heavily guarded to protect from bandits. Oasis's litter the Siccus desert with the largest one being Petraea, the ancient Capital fortress which is the home of the Kaliphlin. Though lacking in most other resources, it is one of the few producers of Black Oil in the entire Historica- generating wealth beyond belief for its inhabitants. Those within its inner city live in virtual paradise relative to those behind the outer clay-brick fortifications. The bulk of Petraea's citizens are made up of ex-criminals, freed slaves, fortune seekers and people looking to restart their lives in anonymity. While most outside the south presume that the Petraea is a lawless savage city- it is in fact the most lawful cities in all of Historica. The prosperous Black Oil provides plentiful jobs and money for all those who give an honest days work. Those that choose dishonesty, the vast standing Army of the Kaliphlin Guild hands out harsh punishments to ensure there are no repeat offenders. To the East, in the harshest area is home to the the Mountain Mummy tribes who are known to sporting bandage coverings from head to foot, they utilize their garb to ensure that none of their precious moisture is lost to the blistering, arid surroundings. No one is quite sure which race the mummies belong to, as none have ever been seen without their bandages, however, it is rumored that the mummies came to being when warlocks from the eastern darklands corrupted the burial chambers of the nobility during Quakyr's days as an early settlement. While the mummies pay no allegiance but to their chieftains, whom they revere as deities, they have sometimes been known to band together against invading forces from the Eastern Darklands. Military Due to Kaliphlin being one of the richest guilds, its soldiers are one of the best equipped in Historica. The Kaliphlin army is the second largest, after Avalonia, but are equally matched with Mitgardia, which has a smaller army. Kaliphlin can field around 40,000 soldiers. Major Cities The major cities of the Kaliphlin are Petraea the capital, Queenscross, Barqa, and Qarkyr. Other notable cities include Eastgate, Stone Town, Messahmuk, Mpya Stedor, and Berigora. Fed by the lakes and rivers of Avalonia, the Arkbri River runs through its lands and is the primary source of fresh water to the parched south. For the affluent, the preferred water source is the glacial waters shipped from the Mitgardia's snow caps. The eastern desert is cut by the Qar-Akhen river, descending from the Rakath Mountains near Qarkyr to the coastal Akhenaten Swamps. Farther east is the trailing end of the Rakath Mountain Range, ending in the land of Peregrinus on Cape Dahaka. The northeastern coast is rocky and mountainous, foggy, and filled with temperate pine forests. In the far west lies the deep dark Wither Woods and the farmlands of the South. These pitiful farms do not provide much food, but the vastness of the farmland provides enough space to grow food for the sparsely populated Siccus Badlands. The port city of Barqa stands as the major trading hub in the western part of the Siccus. Here supplies from the north are shipped in and in return the Black Oil is shipped out. The supplies travel along the Oil Road - always heavily guarded to protect from bandits. Capital Petraea is the ancient Capital fortress which is the home of the Kaliphlin. Though lacking in most other resources, it is one of the few producers of Black Oil in the entire Historica- generating wealth beyond belief for its inhabitants. Those within its inner city live in virtual paradise relative to those behind the outer clay-brick fortifications. The bulk of Petraea's citizens are made up of ex-criminals, freed slaves, fortune seekers and people looking to restart their lives in anonymity. While most outside the south presume that the Petraea is a lawless savage city- it is in fact the most lawful cities in all of Historica. The prosperous Black Oil provides plentiful jobs and money for all those who give an honest days work. Those that choose dishonesty, the vast standing Army of the Kaliphlin Guild hands out harsh punishments to ensure there are no repeat offenders. But the law and order of Petraea does not extend far outside the Capital and the major cities. The remaining Oases are savage places where those that are bent on lawlessness thrive. They survive on raiding merchants traveling between between the three major cities in a constant and escalating battle with Kaliphlin army. Locations of Interest *Kaliphlin Towns & Cities *Kaliphlin Geography & Landmarks *Maps Traveller Mikel Kalores has made a guide about Kaliphlin: "A Backpackers Guide to the Greater Siccus Badlands" Races *Humans' - While found in all guilds, the human population of Kaliphlin is smaller than all the other guilds with the exception of Nocturnus. Humans of Kaliphlin vary greatly in their status with some being wealthy nobles while others work as dangerous bandits *'Dwarves '- A prominent race, Dwarves are a powerful force in Kaliphlin like their northern guild brothers. Most work in the valuable industry of Black oil. *'Mountain Mummies' - Some say they are accursed reanimated corpses who plague the desert mountains of Rakath/Mystic Mountains of Kaliphlin. They can only be found in the mountains and guild of Kaliphlin. *'Others '- A large population of Kaliphlin is composed of various smaller races, many of which are unique to the guild. Many of these minor races are unknown to outsiders and their true numbers and even race names are hard to pin down. **The complete list of Kaliphlin Races taken from Mikel Kalores' Hitchhikers Guide to the Greater Siccus Badlands is as follows: '''Ay'Kabile '- A seafaring humanoid. Meaning "moon tribe" in the ancient Col'dili language, their skin radiates a soft blue hue in the moonlight. It is quite possible that they are the cause of many of the "ghost ship" sightings, for from a distance in the moonlight, they have a spectral appearance. Sighting chance: Rare Centaurs -''' A humanoid having the lower body of a horse and a torso and head of a human. '''Sighting chance: Extremely Rare Dwarves -''' A humanoid of short stature that loves to grow a long beard. They are found in just about every land of Historica. '''Sighting chance: Very Common Elves - A humanoid with long ears and large eyes. They are of only few numbers in the Siccus Badlands as they for the most part do not enjoy the heavy heat. Jungle Elves are an exception but as their name implies, keep to the jungles. Sighting chance: Common Grelves – A humanoid rarely encountered, not much is known about them. However it is concluded from all encounters that they are an old, powerful and wealthy race. Sighting chance: Rare Humans -''' The most common intelligent species of Historica. As the Siccus Badlands has a multitude of races, it is not yet known whether Humans are in the majority here. '''Sighting chance: Very Common Jivana Cusana -''' As described by Kcaj Nosnikta: "They lurk in tainted ruins across the plains of the Siccus Badlands, they hide in the shadows and ambush unsuspecting victims taking shelter, the Jivana Cusana suck the very essence of life away from you until there is no more. With enough life essence the Jivana Cusana can live forever until they are banished from this world." '''Sighting chance: Rare Karinca – A humanoid of the desert known for their orange skin and their custom of painting white markings on their bodies to ward off desert spirits. Sighting Chance: Rare Lerik'ai -''' As described by Dugal MacLean, "They call themselves in their native tongue "The People of the Flame" we traders of Kaliphlin know them as indigenous peoples of the badlands, bandits, pests, evil-dwellers, devils, but most commonly we refer to them as Lerik'ai. They are humanoid, but have strange red, black, or gold skin colorings that set them apart from humans even from the farthest distance. They do not use animals for transportation, but can travel quickly over the desert sands. They live in small hobbles and in the rare cave or cavern within the badlands. They worship the black life force that the badlands provides, and hate that we traders take it from the ground. In fact, many a trader has lost their life to such a creature because they brought from the ground this crude. With the oil they tend to the ceremony of the flame - burning a vat throughout a ten day period in order to cleanse their souls. The Lerik'ai tend to be reclusive, and it is said if you see one, you know you will be attacked shortly. Oddly, Lerik'ai rarely leave their tribes - for they are hunted down and killed if they do. This has presented one of the few known instances of Lerik'ai entering a city or lands not parched like the badlands - as soon as the traitor has been dealt with, they return to the sands. They are a dangerous people, but just one of the many threats in the badlands. Beyond this, not much else is known about the People of the Flame." '''Sighting chance: Rare Lizardmen -''' There are a number of Lizardmen subspecies in Kaliphlin such as the Cr'dle and the Zila, some prefering the swamps and waterways while others the dry sands. '''Sighting chance: Rare Minotaurs -''' These powerful creatures are nomadic and for the most part solitary although they are often found among mercenary groups. '''Sighting chance: Fairly Common Desert Orcs -''' Rumored to be descendants of an unholy union between an elf and a demon, other races often avoid them whenever possible. However they are formidable fighters and so are often found in mercenary groups. At the beginning of GoH Book 2, Brunak the Chosen, a Desert Orc leader laid claim to lands in the northeast of Kaliphlin. '''Sighting chance: Common Mountain Mummy -''' A humanoid that wraps himself in scraps of cloth to prevent dehydration found primarily in the Siccus Badlands. It is rumored that they are hundreds if not thousands of years old. '''Sighting chance: Common Economy Kaliphlin's economy is nearly based solely on trading, with items such as black oil and spices, with the full list below. The large Arkbri River also provides abundant fish and suitable irrigation for farming on its shores. *Black Oil *Glass *Sandstone *Gold *Silver *Gems *Wine *Reptile Skins *Camel Milk *Ostrich Eggs/Meat *Spices Other *Kaliphlin Building Guidelines *University of Petraea's Master of Historica program *Links to Islamic and Middle Eastern architecture, for MOC inspiration Category:Guilds of Historica Category:Kaliphlin Category:Geography Category:Guilds